PennFuture Praises Legislature for Ending Session, Leaving Clean Cars Program and Toxic Mercury Pollution Rules Intact; Unprecedented Public Outpourin
DATELINE: HARRISBURG, Pa.
Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) today praised the citizens of Pennsylvania, Governor Edward Rendell, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty and the Pennsylvania legislature for their efforts in transforming Pennsylvania from a rust belt state to the "clean and green belt state," as the Pennsylvania legislature recessed, leaving both the Clean Vehicles Program and the proposed regulation to cut toxic mercury from power plants intact and ready to become law.
"We have smashed the stereotype of Pennsylvania as a polluted land, and we're now the new, green and clean Pennsylvania," said John Hanger, president and CEO of PennFuture. "Together, the Clean Vehicles Program and the mercury rule are great news for both Pennsylvania's environment and economy. These new policies will make us better able to compete in the 21st Century economy, create jobs, combat global warming and transform our environment, throwing off the shackles of pollution. This is a great, green day for our state.
"Pennsylvania is leading the nation in green policies," continued Hanger. "Starting with the landmark Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act, which requires Pennsylvania electricity suppliers to provide an ever increasing amount of electricity made from clean and renewable sources; the passage of the historic Growing Greener Bond, overwhelmingly approved by the voters, which provides $650 million for environmental cleanup and protection; and the creation of the sustainable development funds and the acquisition of more funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy through Energy Harvest Grants and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, which continue to build Pennsylvania's new renewable economy, we have been on the road to the new green Pennsylvania. But now we're leading the pack, with the adoption of the clean cars program and becoming the first coal state to require strong cleanup of mercury from coal fired power plants."
The Clean Vehicles Program will allow Pennsylvanians to purchase the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and cleanest cars, striking a blow against our addiction to foreign oil from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The Clean Vehicles Program will also protect Pennsylvania jobs and industry, since federal law requires the Commonwealth to cut air pollution. The clean cars program will cut much of that pollution, avoiding stricter standards on many businesses. The program has been through an extensive public comment process and has been approved by every required regulatory body.
The Clean Vehicles Program standards were developed by the state of California, and are the only option besides the weak standards of the federal government. Once the clean cars program is fully implemented, Pennsylvania will join Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Oregon, Washington and California in opting for the clean cars program.
The mercury rule will require a 90 percent reduction in toxic mercury pollution from power plants, which threatens the health of women and their babies. More than 600,000 women of childbearing age nationwide have amounts of mercury in their blood over the level set as safe by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences. Unsafe levels of mercury in mothers' blood and breast milk can interfere with the proper development of babies' brains and neurological systems.
The genesis of the Pennsylvania mercury rule was in August 2004, when PennFuture formally filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) on behalf of 10 public health, sporting, women's rights and environmental and conservation organizations, asking the EQB to enact a regulation requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce their mercury emissions by 90 percent. A long stakeholder and public comment process (which resulted in a record number of positive comments for the rule) moved the rule forward. Today over 100 organizations, including the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, the Pennsylvania Parent Teachers Association, the Learning Disabilities Association and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, have joined in this vital effort.
PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization that advances policies to protect and improve the state's environment and economy. With offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and West Chester, PennFuture's activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state and federal courts, advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level, public education and assisting citizens in public advocacy.
CONTACT: PennFuture
Jeanne K. Clark, 412-258-6683
412-736-6092 (cell)